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PHPA Feature: Andrew Campbell

Excerpt from PHPA Article

“A lot has been made of the young, exciting Toronto Marlies. Run by Maple Leafs Assistant General Manager, Kyle Dubas, the Marlies are flush with dynamic prospects who are being groomed for the NHL, along with a mix of veteran talent. Last season’s Marlies were an offensive juggernaut, finishing atop the AHL standings with 114 points, while leading the league with 294 goals. It should come as no surprise with a roster stacked with young talent such as William Nylander, Zach Hyman, Connor Brown, Brendan Leipsic, and Kasperi Kapanen,just to name a few. With all of this flash and sizzle, some players are bound to be lost in the shuffle. One name that is not given nearly enough credit, with his calming and steady presence patrolling the blue line, is Marlies captain, Andrew Campbell.

Known to teammates and coaches affectionately as “Soupy”, Campbell has owned this goofy moniker since his junior days with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). “I’m unsure of who gave it to me,” Campbell recalls. “I guess if your name is Campbell in any professional sport you tend to pick up the nickname.”

9. Who is the toughest teammate that you’ve played with?“Justin Johnson. He’s just overall a tough guy”

10. Who has been your toughest defensive assignment?“When I was with Manchester, we played Hershey in 2010 and I had Chris Bourque, Alex Giroux, Keith Aucoin. Boyd Kane was just a guy who always seemed to be dangerous whenever he was on the ice”
*These four scored a combined 131 goals that season

Unused Quotes

Campbell on last season’s Toronto Marlies“I think what made the team special was the talent of all of the young players that have been drafted into the organization. There’s so many young skill players, who at times can be dynamic. We were a very exciting team to watch. But because we were such young skill-team, other teams would try to run around on us. They’d just try and intimidate us physically. But when you have a team like ours, you can’t hit a guy if you can’t catch him.* To watch these guys make plays under pressure, support each other, and make plays with the puck, it was just amazing to be a part of. It’s just a testament to the job that the management in Toronto has done to bring these guys into the organization. In the playoffs, it’s a big transition, especially for these young guys.”

*CC: Brian Burke, Dave Nonis and the rest of the “Truculence” team

Campbell on his 6 game stint with the Leafs last season“It was definitely special. I grew up a Leafs fan my whole life–even since before I really knew what hockey was. After watching them my whole life, it was a dream come true to wear that Leafs sweater in an NHL game.”